Ever Flowing Streams 2013
In This Issue
Are we Over the Rainbow Yet?
Conference Passes Justice-Related Resolutions
What the UCC General Synod Adopted on Just Peace in Israel/Palestine
UCC Responds to Burned Churches in the South
Churches, Conference Leaders Respond to Church Shootings
Interfaith Youth Initiative
Farewell from our Climate Intern
Transgender Rights
Haystack Awards for Justice and Witness
Be Prepared for a Church Emergency
Widening the Welcome 2015
Songs for Syria
I'm a Christian; Therefore I support Same-Sex Marriage
A Treasure in Clay Jars...
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July 2015
Are we Over the Rainbow Yet?
by Kathie Carpenter
ONA Ministry Team Chair
The U.S. Supreme Court decision affirming marriage equality came down on June 26, 2015. It was approaching twelve years since the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling of '03, providing the first-ever marriage equality state by 2004. At the 25th Synod in Atlanta in 2005, the UCC adopted the marriage equality Resolution, the first of any Protestant denomination in the U.S.
A little after 10 a.m. Eastern time, there was a low bustle in the Cleveland Convention Center hallway. People were slowly gathering for the first day of Synod, registering, looking for directions. There came a low stir of comments, then squeals, seemingly every 15-20 seconds or so, then individuals talking loudly, then shouting and crying. People shouted, "It's YES!" No need to explain that it meant the Supreme Court had ruled in favor of marriage equality.

Conference Passes Justice-Related Resolutions

MACUCC logoThree justice-related resolutions were approved by the 216th MA Conference Annual Meeting last month. They are:

What The UCC General Synod Adopted On 'Just Peace In Israel/Palestine'

by Connie Larkman
United Church of Christ News
The United Church of Christ is reaching out to the wider church to answer a number of questions about the actions taken by General Synod 2015 in Cleveland, specifically on the resolution, 'A Call to Take Actions toward a Just Peace in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict'. A brief fact sheet, prepared by the Wider Church Ministries team, outlines points made by the resolution, and what it does not call for.
A few major distinctions -The resolution does not call for boycott or divestment from Israel. It addresses divestment from companies that profit from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and people. The resolution addresses the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and its people; it does not challenge Israel's existence.

The summary guide of 'What Synod Said, and What It Didn't', to understand and interpret the actions of the 30th General Synod, can be found here.
UCC Responds to Burned Churches in the South

by Phyllis Richards

UCC Disaster Ministries

People across the United Church of Christ are stepping up to support recovery and rebuilding of burned African American churches and communities. Be part of the UCC's response. Funds raised will be used to help begin the re-establishing of the churches, so members and the community will have the opportunity to worship together and heal together.


Your continued prayers are needed and requested. Donations are also welcomed, and may be sent online through the United Church of Christ Emergency USA fund. Designate your gift by noting the disaster in the memo line of the check, for example "Burning Churches".
Churches, Conference Leaders Respond to Church Shootings in South Carolina
by Tiffany Vail
Associate for Communication
Local church and Conference leaders have been responding to the shootings at a South Carolina church with preaching, pastoral care, education and fundraisers.
The Massachusetts Conference called on trained facilitators to offer conversations on race at various locations across the state. Invitations to the conversations, which are open to all, were sent out to churches by email and via social media as soon as plans fell into place. The sessions were planned quickly as an immediate response; more facilitated conversations will be planned in the future as well. Find more information here.
Interfaith Youth Initiative: Training Youth Leaders to Make Peace

Interfaith Youth Initiative (IFYI) is a powerful and transformative experience for teens (ages 15 -18) and college students that will be held July 26 to August 2, 2015 on the campus of Brandeis University. Both the IFYI high school and college program train interfaith leaders to go back to their schools and campuses to lead others in making peace, serving others, engaging faith, and building bridges.

This year's IFYI theme is "Rooted in Faith, Reaching Out in Love." Each summer, Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries offers this eight-day peacemaking and leadership development program with a mix of community building, workshops, service experiences, and learning trips for teens.
Farewell from our Climate Intern
by Patrick Cage
This may well be my last email to you all! Having attended General Synod, I have now finished my term as Climate Justice Intern with the MACUCC.  It has been a delight and an enormous learning experience to have this opportunity with the MACUCC, and I thank you for being a part of it.  I only wish I had time to work with you all in a more direct way, though I suspect this would take several years at least!

 

There are a few opportunities and a great deal to explore, particularly with "Praised Be," the pope's encyclical on ecology & climate change having been recently released.  Have you seen Pope Francis' groundbreaking encyclical on ecology? Visit our page on the encyclical for links to the document and supporting resources.

Read more here.  

In 2011, the Massachusetts Transgender Equal Rights Coalition (MATERC) successfully advocated for a bill that provided legal protections to transgender and gender non-conforming people in the areas of credit/lending, housing, employment, and public education. 
Despite this victory, we still need to ensure that all people, regardless of their gender identity or expression, can live without fear of discrimination. In Massachusetts, there are no explicit legal protections protecting transgender people in places of public accommodations, or the areas that we visit when we are not at work, home, or school. These places include medical facilities, public transportation, restaurants, and more.  
Haystack Awards for Justice and Witness
The Justice & Witness Council presented its Haystack Awards during Annual Meeting to Marianne Talis, a long-time social activist from the Newton Highlands Congregational Church, and to the Massachusetts Women's Home Missionary Union.

Be Prepared for a Church Emergency
by Estelle Margarones
Your Mass Conference Disaster Resource Team provides relevant resource materials pertinent to disasters and emergencies. In light of the recent tragic hate crime committed at AME Emanuel Church in Charleston, we offer you the following resources: simple emergency preparedness planning, dealing with an active shooter, and comprehensive emergency preparedness planning templates. 

Let us not forget that we are people of extravagant welcome and that we are followers of Christ, the embodiment of Love. Perfect love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18)

Read Estelle's blog on preparing your church for emergencies here.
Widening the Welcome 2015: Inclusion for All
Sept. 24-26, 2015
Hartford/Windsor Airport Marriott Hotel
28 Day Hill Road, Windsor, CT

 

widening the welcome

"Inclusion is a journey we take with one another and ourselves rather than a destination." ~ Rev. Dr. Christina Jones Davis, keynote speaker and workshop leader.

Widening the Welcome Conference is a sign of the movement in our UCC to address concerns and issues around disabilities, mental health challenges, and cognitive/developmental disabilities. The conference features workshops, core group breakouts, hospitality event, networking, meals, exhibitors and more. Cost of the three-day conference is just $180.


Sponsored by the United Church of Christ Disabilities Ministries and Mental Health Network.
Songs for Syria:Concert for Humanitarian Relief

Sunday, Sept. 27 ~ 3 p.m.
First Churches of Northampton
129 Main Street ~ Northampton, MA
Half of Syria's people have fled their homes and are living in deplorable and dangerous conditions, many without access to food, shelter, and much-needed medical care. The United Nations has called this the worst humanitarian crisis since the Holocaust.

Please come support those who are suffering. Emcee for the concert will be Bill Newman, civil liberties lawyer, radio host and author. The concert will feature jazz, blues and a special performance by Layaali Arabic music ensemble, with Syrian guest artists and more.

Admission is free; funds will be solicited for medical aid for victims of this conflict. Tax-exempt donations will benefit the Syrian American Medical Society.

Organized by the Valley Syrian Relief Committee, P.O. Box 1486 Northampton, MA 01061. Email [email protected] for more information. Download a flyer here.
I'm a Christian; Therefore I Support Same-Sex Marriage

by Stan Duncan

MACUCC pastor and economist

 

Stan Duncan Last month, in a landmark opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples would be allowed to marry in all fifty states. And that banning them would violate the 14th Amendment of the federal Constitution. It was a historic victory for gay rights advocates, and immediately there was both dancing in the streets and weddings in the chapels.

However, before the digital ink was dry on the press releases, a chorus of protests rose up by those who opposed the decision, mainly from evangelical Christians. Some of the comments were strongly worded and ominous. Many of them, like TV evangelist, Pat Robertson, said that because of this decision, there will be a national wave of persecutions of Christians
 

 Read more of Stan's article in the Huffington Post 

 

A Treasure in Clay Jars...
Liz Crawford shared moving testimony about her transformation through Worcester Fellowship Church (UCC), during the 216th Annual Meeting. Video of her testimony may also be viewed on the MACUCC Facebook site.

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